A Young People's History of the United States

A Young People's History of the United States tells the stories of workers, enslaved people, immigrants, women, Black people, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, American Indians, and others often left out of textbooks who have been among the driving forces of our nation’s history.

Beginning with a look at Christopher Columbus’s arrival through the eyes of the Arawak Indians, then leading the reader through the struggles for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and civil rights during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and ending with the current protests against continued American imperialism, Zinn presents a radical new way of understanding America’s history. In so doing, he reminds readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by the people rather than by our generals our politicians.

This revised and updated edition includes new chapters on Latino History by Ed Morales as well as shorter updates and revisions throughout.A Note on this Edition
Introduction
Introduction by Ed Morale: A New Narrative

PART ONE
o   Columbus and American Indians
o   Black and White
o   Who Were the Colonists?
o   Tyranny is Tyranny
o   Revolutions
o   The Women of Early America
o   As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs
o   War with Mexico
o   Slavery and Emancipation
o   The Other Civil War
o   Robber Barons and Rebels
o   The American Empire

PART TWO
o   Class Struggle
o   World War I
o   Hard Times
o   World War II and the Cold War
o   Black Revolt and Civil Rights
o   Vietnam
o   Surprises
o   The Latino Emergence
o   Under Control?
o   Politics as Usual
o   Resistance
o   The End of the Twentieth Century
o   The “War on Terrorism”
o   War in Iraq, Conflict at Home
o   Our Voices Need to be Heard
o   Conclusion by Howard Zinn: “Rise Like Lions”

Glossary
Index
About the Authors“Zinn has written a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those who have been exploited … the book is an excellent antidote to establishment history … While the book is precise enough to please specialists, it should satisfy any adult reader.” —Library Journal

"A Young People's History of the United States offers students a valuable tool to learn outside the textbook." —Deborah Menkart, executive director, Teaching for Change

“Zinn's work exemplifies an approach to history that is radical, regardless of its subject or geographical location. He tells us the untold story, the story of the world's poor, the world's workers, the world's homeless, the world's oppressed, the people who don't really qualify as real people in official histories. Howard Zinn painstakingly unearths the details that the powerful seek to airbrush away. He brings official secrets and forgotten histories out into the light, and in doing so, changes the official narrative that the powerful have constructed for us. He strips the grinning mask off the myth of the benign American Empire. To not read Howard Zinn is to do a disservice to yourself.” —Arundhati Roy

“[Zinn] gives a real insight into history that is often left out of textbooks. Highly recommended.” —Socialist ReviewThe visionary historical work of professor and activist HOWARD ZINN (1922–2010) is widely considered one of the most important and influential of our era. After his experience as a bombardier in World War II, Zinn became convinced that there could no longer be such a thing as a “just war,” because the vast majority of victims in modern warfare are, increasingly, innocent civilians. In his books, including A People’s History of the United States, its companion volumeVoices of a People’s History of the United States, and countless other titles, Zinn affirms the power of the people to influence the course of events.

REBECCA STEFOFF is the author of more than 100 nonfiction books for children and young adults, and she has adapted several best-selling history books for younger readers.